The high commissioner said democracy was 'very strong in India as there is no division or discrepancy among the people of different faiths and values and real secularism is practised there', The Daily Star said.

By IANS, [RxPG] Dhaka, May 19 - Bangladesh is 'a secular country but there is no real practice of secularism', the Indian high commissioner here said, adding that its religious ministry does not go with secular values.

High Commissioner Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty Friday urged Dhaka to follow the Indian model of secularism.

'Bangladesh is a secular country but there is no real practice of secularism ... as there is a religious ministry here,' United News of Bangladesh - news agency quoted Chakravarty as saying at a function in the southern port city of Chittagong. The function was organised to lay the foundation of Chandranath Temple in Sitakunda.

Chakravarty said democracy would be stronger in Bangladesh if it could establish 'a real secular country like India.'

The high commissioner said democracy was 'very strong in India as there is no division or discrepancy among the people of different faiths and values and real secularism is practised there', The Daily Star said.

Assuring all possible cooperation from his government for the development and establishment of the temple, the high commissioner said Bangladesh government could expand it as a potential tourism centre.